μ's Manager-san
by Empyreum
Summary: Hotaka wakes up in a front of a piano with no recollection of his past. Shortly after his waking, he meets Honoka and she makes him the manager of the idol group, μ's. How will he help μ's reach further than they could without him?
1. Live 1 - Come True! Our Dreams!

**Live 1: Come True! Our Dreams!**

I woke up in a strange school I've never seen before. Judging by the grand piano in front of me, this was a music room of some sort. The seats were folded up and set aside to the walls of the classroom, leaving plenty of room for a small assembly to gather here.

Hesitantly, I pressed down on a white piano key, and a solid tone rung out through the empty air. For some reason, being seated at this piano calmed me.

The door to the music room suddenly swung open as a girl with some of her strawberry blonde hair tied up in a side ponytail stepped in, but stopped as she noticed me. Her blue eyes stared at me curiously with some sign of confusion.

Well it'd be natural to be confused. I was confused too, since I just woke up in a place I don't recognize.

"Um," the girl spoke up, "who are you?"

"Eh?"

I wasn't really expecting to be asked who I was.

"Ah, er, I'm...," I started to introduce myself.

The girl looked out the hallway for a second and in panic, dashed over to me, pushing me towards the door in the corner of the music room. She urged me in as she whispered loudly, "For now, go in there! If a boy like you is found here, it would be a disaster!"

Unable to understand the situation, I followed the girl's commands and quickly jumped behind the door.

"Honoka-chan, what are you doing here?"

"A-ah Kotori-chan, I came to be the first to practice, teehee~!"

"Honoka-chan, did you forgot? Today we won't be practicing since a bunch of us will be busy today."

"Ah, we did talk about something like that."

The two girls made small talk before they said their good-byes. Once the other girl had left, the blue-eyed girl, called Honoka, rushed over to me and pulled me out, sighing in relief, probably because I wasn't discovered.

"Continuing from where we left off," Honoka said, "who are you?"

"Um, the thing is..," I replied, scratching my chin softly, "I don't remember."

While I was cooped up in the closet, I was thinking about who I was, and why I was here, but nothing came to mind.

"Ehhh!? What do you mean that you don't remember?" Honoka asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I must be causing a lot of trouble," I answered apologetically.

Honoka shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine with it. But that would explain why you were so relaxed."

Uncertain by what she meant by that, I tilted my head. Honoka noticed my confusion and spread her arms out to indicate the entire area.

"This is Otonokizaka High School, an all-girls' school," Honoka explained curtly. She pointed to me and added, "And you're a boy."

It took a couple of seconds for me to fully process what Honoka had said.

"E-e-eh?! T-then," I started panicking, "a-am I going to get arrested?" Even though I didn't remember much about who I was or what kind of a person I was, right now, I really didn't want to get into trouble. Especially while my memories are so foggy.

Honoka crossed her arms and thought to herself. She mumbled to herself in deep concentration. After a while, she opened her eyes and smiled. "Well, nothing we can do about it, right~?" she said all cutesy-like.

"No, I'm begging you, please don't give up so easily, Honoka-san."

As we began to bicker about trivial things, a teacher walked over to the door and asked, "What's all the commotion here?"

Geh! I'm doomed!

I'm going to live the rest of my life labelled as a pervert who infiltrated an all girls' high school!

I don't want that!

"Ah, sensei," Honoka said, turning to the adult, who naturally gave me a suspicious glare.

The teacher cleared her throat and asked with a half-sincere, half-artificial politeness, "And who might this person be?"

Honoka turned back to me and using only my eyes, I pleaded to her to cover for me. She gave me a mental thumbs-up and turned back to the teacher. (Don't ask me how either of us got the other's message.)

Stretching her arm out towards me, Honoka announced with a wide smile, "This person is the manager of this school's idol group, μ's!"

* * *

Hello~ This is Empyreum here.

Yeahh, I always wanted a fanfiction with me and my waifu.

What? Oh, uh ignore what I said just there.

But anyways, I had a sudden urge to write a Love Live! fanfiction, so... here it is! I like the way this is going so far, so I'm probably going to keep going with this until the very end, whether I like or not, and whether you guys like it or not!

Hahaha~! Well, I'll end with that. Talk to you next chapter, or should I call it a Live?


	2. Live 2 - Let's Start Becoming a Manager!

**Live 2: Let's Start Becoming a Manager!**

"Manager, you say?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.

Awawawa. That's not going to work!

"Yup!" Honoka nodded, smiling with confidence.

"Is that so?" the teacher mumbled. She looked straight at me and asked, "Kousaka-san, what is your manager's name?"

"Eh?" Honoka gasped abruptly. I guess she wasn't prepared for that.

I, on the other hand, smiled. Why? Because I had just recalled my full name.

"Hotaka. I'm Hotaka Kiimu. It's a pleasure to meet you, sensei," I said with the utmost courtesy I could manage. To add to it, I bowed my head down, which luckily didn't feel forced or stiff.

The teacher was taken aback by my fluid and charming answer (it was charming in my point of view), but I felt the same way. I felt like an answer full of falsified etiquette would never fit with my personality, if I ever got to go about remembering it.

"Y-yes, it's a pleasure," the teacher replied. She turned towards Honoka and said, "Well then, be sure to go home soon. Classes ended a while ago."

"Okay~," Honoka answered.

Once the teacher had gone away, Honoka jumped up to me and asked, "Hey, hey. Is Hotaka really your name? Or did you make it up?"

"I-it's real. And your face is way too close!"

"Then I'll call you Hotaka-kun! Is that okay?" Honoka asked as she stepped back.

"That's fine with me, Honoka-san."

"Bubu!" Honoka stuck her tongue out, making an "X" sign with her index fingers. "Don't add the -san. It's uncomfortable."

"Then... Honoka-sama."

"What am I? A temple goddess?"

"Joking, joking." I smiled and asked, "Then is just Honoka alright with you?"

Honoka grinned and nodded, "Yeah!"

She pointed at me and asked, "By the way, I've been wondering, but is that a guitar you're carrying?"

I looked over my shoulder to realize that I was indeed, carrying a guitar-like case with something in it. How did I not notice it this entire time?

I placed it onto the ground lightly and unzipped the bag. A shiny electric guitar with a simple brown, wood-like pattern was in the case. The word Fender was printed on the guitar's head next to the tuning keys.

"Oh! That looks expensive!" Honoka whistled as she looked over my shoulder. Once we had confirmed what was inside the bag, I zipped it shut and slung it over my shoulder. Along with the guitar, I also had a small backpack with me. It was relatively light compared to the guitar.

Honoka walked towards the music room's door and said, "Well, let's get along from now on, Manager-san!"

"Yeah, let's," I replied. "Wait, am I really a manager?"

"By the way," Honoka suddenly said, ignoring my question, "do you have somewhere to stay?"

...

"And so, can Hotaka-kun stay here for a while?" Honoka finished her explanation.

Someway or another, Honoka dragged me to her house to ask her parents if I could live-in with them for a while. I wasn't exactly confident that they would accept it, but it was worth a shot.

"Absolutely not," Honoka's father rejected the idea.

That's true, a healthy adolescent boy living under the same roof of a healthy adolescent girl isn't exactly an idea treated fondly of (by most people anyways).

I picked up my bags and started to stand when Honoka's mother spoke up, "Isn't it fine? Hotoka-san doesn't remember anything and he doesn't have anywhere to stay."

Honoka's father grunted, a wordless form of surrender. He stood up and returned to the shop's kitchen. On the way, he gave me a quick glare.

Honoka's mother turned to Yukiho, Honoka's little sister, and said, "Go bring Hotaka-san to the guest room. That will be his room for the time being."

Yukiho nodded as I bowed awkwardly to Honoka's mother, "Sorry for imposing on you."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Honoka's mother laughed lightly.

The shop door opened and a girl called out from up front, "Excuse me, is Honoka here?"

Honoka stood up as she said, "Ah, it's Umi-chan. I'll be back." She darted off to the front of the store.

Yukiho got to her feet as she called, "Hotaka-san, let me show you to your room." She walked out of the living room and turned into the hallway.

Before I left to follow her, I took a good look the room. It really gave off an atmosphere of a traditional Japanese house, even though it was in the back of a sweets shop. The floor was padded with soft tatami mats, which were a deep shade of jade green.

It sort of... how to say it... made me feel at home. I don't really know. Maybe my home was like this too.

"Hotaka-san?" Yukiho called out.

"Ah! Sorry, I'm coming!" I said back, hurrying after her.

Yukiho guided me to the second floor and opened a door to a room in the corner of the hall. I stepped in.

The room itself wasn't that spacey, but it was big enough for a guest like me to lounge about comfortably. There was a wide study desk in one corner of the room and next to it was a medium sized bed. A half-open closet was next to the door and there were two windows on adjacent walls. In the center of the room, was a small low table.

It was a simple room, but it was much better than what I would be sleeping in if I never met Honoka.

"Sorry that it's a bit tight in here," Yukiho apologized ahead of time.

I placed my bags next to the bed as I shook my head, "No, no. I'm thankful to even be able to stay here." I slid open one of the windows and a gentle breeze rushed in, replacing the slightly dingy air with a clean freshness.

Yukiho turned from the room and said, "Well, I'm going to go back downstairs. You can rearrange the room if you want to." I could hear her descending the staircase after she left.

I looked around, studying the room again. The bed was covered neatly with a light pink blanket, but the pillow was pure white. As for the study desk... what to say? It was made out of wood like the low table.

Apart from my guitar, I didn't know what else I had, so I decided to go through my backpack. I unzipped the main compartment and pulled out several notebooks and a pencil case.

"Hm?" I murmured to myself as I sifted through the notebooks. There were two composition notebooks and two blank music scorebooks. In one of the notebooks, was a short piece of writing. Curious to what was written, I began reading it.

"Hey, Hotaka-kun," Honoka suddenly spoke up, peeking from the doorframe.

"What's up?" I asked, closing the notebook.

Honoka grinned, "Come with me for a minute."

"Sure..." I answered, getting up. I followed Honoka as she skipped down the corridor.

She took hold of my wrist and pulled me into her room as she half-shouted, "Here he is!"

There were two other girls in Honoka's room.

The girl sitting closer to us had grayish-brown hair with a side ponytail streaming under a small bun. Upon our entrance, she looked up with attentive amber eyes.

The other, who sat across from the first girl, had long dark blue hair which wasn't styled in any way. She stared at me with cautious brown eyes.

Both girls were wearing the same school uniform as Honoka.

"He's Hotaka-san?" the gray-brown haired girl asked with a cheerful voice. She smiled and introduced herself, "I'm Kotori Minami. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah," I replied, unsure what to say, "nice to meet you too."

"My name is Umi Sonoda," Umi, the blue-haired girl, said politely, "I hope to get along with you."

"Ah, yeah, same here," I answered in a casual tone.

"But did you really lose your memories?" Kotori asked, peering at my face. I guess Honoka told these two about me.

I nodded.

"Can you remember your birthday?" Kotori asked curiously.

"Birthday? Urm...," I sighed, "No luck." I couldn't remember even details that were particularly personal to me. If I couldn't remember my name from the point I lost my memories, then regaining other information would probably prove to be even more difficult.

"It must be troubling for you to not be able to remember much about yourself," Umi sympathized with me.

"Well," Honoka said, breaking the flow of the conversation, "let's put that aside for now. The real reason I brought Hotaka-kun here was so that you two could meet him, since he's going to be our manager and all."

"Eh?" I said, "I'm still going to be a manager? I thought you just said that so I could slip out of the school!"

Honoka chuckled strangely with an evil facial expression as she looked my way, "You're freeloading here, so you can at least do this, right?"

I couldn't say anything back.

"And besides," Honoka said, her demeanor back to normal, "you're probably a musician. You were carrying a guitar with you, and you did wake up at a piano." She smiled and said, "Isn't that plenty of evidence that you're a musician?"

"No, it could just be two coincidences," I murmured to myself.

Honoka started chatting with Kotori and Umi as I smiled to myself.

_Well, this isn't bad either._

I remembered my notebook and spoke up, "Hey, I think I wrote some song lyrics before I lost my memories, wanna see?"

Honoka whirled around to me and nodded rapidly, "Show us!"

I got up and said, "Just wait a second then. I'll go grab my notebook." As the three girls continued their discussion about whether red bean paste sweets or chocolate was better, I walked back to the guest room which was now temporarily my room.

I pushed open the door to feel a surge of cool wind brush against my skin. It was soothing, but I shut the window and grabbed my notebook, which had flipped open in the wind.

Having retrieved the notebook, I headed back towards Honoka's room. But suddenly, I stumbled into the wall, my head pounding. It felt like a searing needle of steel was poking my brain. I clutched my forehead with my free hand, trying to ease the pain somehow. In a moment, the pain faded away. While I was confused to what caused it, I was glad it was over and continued into Honoka's room.

"You're slow, Hotaka-kun!" Honoka complained as I stepped into the room. She was seated around the low table with Kotori and Umi, munching on some rice crackers, her chin resting on the desk. Apparently, Honoka considered a few seconds too long. Then again, I did have that dizzy spell while I was coming back.

Instead of arguing against her, I took a seat. "Sorry, sorry. I mixed up a bunch of things," I said as I placed the notebook down on the page where I wrote the lyrics.

Honoka snatched it away and the three started reading. Before they even got through the first line, Umi had something to ask. "Does this song not have a title?"

"Ahhh," I said, grinning a little, "I thought of one a while ago."

"What is it?" Kotori asked.

I exhaled a little though my nose, and nodded, deciding that I liked this title. I looked at the girls and said,

"_Kitto Seishun ga Kikoeru._"

* * *

Hello~ This is Empyreum here.

I wrote this chapter rather quickly, but I'm quite satisfied with the results.

When I watched the anime, I was always wondering about the opening and the ending since μ's performed them, but didn't exactly, "make", them. From that, I decided to introduce those two songs in this story as something the protagonist wrote up.

I like how this is progressing, so I'll most likely update on this at a relatively quick pace (unless academics and/or personal reasons hinder me. Finals are approaching too, but I'm not one to study, but maybe I should study this time around).

Well then, until the next Live, adios!

*Also, just in case anyone didn't know, Kitto Seishun ga Kikoeru is the ending theme to the Love Live anime. And with that, adios until the next Live (for real)!


	3. Live 3 - First Live

**Live 3: First Live**

It was a Tuesday, and without any place to go, I volunteered to work at the register for Honoka's father. But as it was still during school hours, not many people came to buy sweets. Bored out of my mind, I pulled out my phone, which I found in a smaller pocket of my bag, and started looking through the call and text history.

From my previous look at my phone's history, there was a couple of texts, but because of my memory loss, I had no idea who these people were. But since these were currently the only clues to regain my memories, I decided to go through them one more time.

Still, I wasn't able to get anything from the conversations in my phone. Nothing really fit together. I'll need to recollect my memories before I can make any connections. I flipped my phone shut and sighed, looking at the clock. The light rain pattered rhythmically on the shop's windows. Although it's been drizzling for a while now, I prefer this much more then the heavy downpour this morning. I felt kind of sorry for Honoka, who had decided to walk (run) to school. I don't think she brought an umbrella with her.

I flipped open the notebook in front of me. Honoka, Kotori, and Umi all liked my lyrics and asked if I could try to compose it into a song. I said I would try, but...

"This is hard."

I had some sort of draft in one of the scorebooks, but when I tried to continue the song, it never sounded right. I guess it would be similar to someone trying to finish another person's story, because since I don't remember what I was like, it's like trying to finish a stranger's song.

With a sigh, I closed the notebook. Instead of this incomplete song, I turned my attention to a packet of paper.

Honoka said that this song would be the first song μ's would be performing as a full, nine-member group. She asked me to listen to it and see if I could make any adjustments, since I _was _their manager.

But even if she says that, I still haven't met the other six members. While I was interested in meeting my fellow "co-workers", or in this case, the idols I'm supposed to manage, I felt kind of pressured by the fact that I was the only boy among the group. My instincts are telling me that I'm an enviously lucky guy, but I still feel a little overwhelmed.

I put my headphones on and pressed the play button on the MP3 player, starting the song μ's would be performing. **  
**

"_Bokura no LIVE, Kimi to no LIFE,_ it's called?" I murmured to myself, reading the song's title aloud. As I listened to the prelude, I immediately felt that there was something off about it.

I tapped my finger on the countertop according to the song's beat. "There's something missing..." I mumbled. As I tried to figure out what seemed to be lacking in the song, my phone vibrated with a soft buzz.

I picked up the phone and flipped it open. The screen had a notification box that read, "_1 new message from Honoka Kousaka._" I clicked a couple of buttons and read through her message;

_"Hotaka-kun, all our classes ended for today! Come to the same music room from yesterday! If no one's there, go to the rooftop! See ya soon! 0(^o^)0" _

"Go," Honoka's father said popping his head out from behind the noren that divided the building into shop and house. He nodded towards the door and said, "There probably won't be that many customers anyways."

"Then, if you'll excuse me," I said cautiously.

Honoka's father still scared me.

"Also," he said as I packed up my belongings, "if you ever do anything to my daughter, I will make sure you regre-."

_BANG!_

A dull but painful thud sounded behind Honoka's father. He doubled over, holding the back of his head in agony. Honoka's mother was standing next to him with a clenched fist. She smiled and said to me, "Don't worry about him."

"Hahh," I replied, unsure what to say. I slung my backpack and guitar over my shoulder and said, "Then, I'll be leaving." I jogged out of the store and headed towards Otonokizaka High School. As I exited the shop, I noticed that the rain had subsided, and the sun shone strongly in the clear sky.

"Nice weather now," I smiled softly as I slowed my jog to a quick walk. I stepped into a small puddle, but I ignored it and continued walking. A cool breeze swished through my hair.

I chuckled as I thought about the time I first used the bathroom yesterday. It was a bit funny remembering my reaction when I looked in the mirror.

Because I was amnesiac, I forgot what my appearance was too. When I saw myself on the mirror, I thought there was a stranger in the bathroom with me. Once I had realized it was myself, I took a good look, burning my image into my mind. I had light brown hair that reached around the nape of my neck. There were some bangs that could reach just above my eyes if I straightened them, but it was more comfortable to part them to the right side of my head.

I also wore glasses. They were rectangular with round corners and had a simple black frame. Once I came to the sudden realization I wore glasses, I started wondering if I was absent-minded, since I never noticed the guitar I was carrying until Honoka pointed it out.

And under those glasses, were my eyes. They were blue, just like Honoka's.

I arrived in front of the school's gates. The style of architecture made it look at least a decade old, but that only furthered its magnificence, especially when compared to the buildings of modern time that anyone could see while walking down a street.

Groups of schoolgirls walked out of the campus, chattering cheerfully. While some did ignore me, most eyes focused on me.

No, I know it's unusual to see a male adolescent near these grounds, but please... Stop looking at me.

I gulped and steeled myself as I walked past the gate. How I wish Honoka could have accompanied me. At least then it probably wouldn't feel as awkward as it did right now.

As I entered the school building, the teacher from yesterday turned the corner. She looked at me in surprise, but quickly recalled who I was as she asked, "Are you here to help with the girls?"

I nodded. This teacher also scared me.

"Well, I wish the best of luck to you," she said politely. "Well then, I must be on my way. Good-bye, Kiimu-san." She waved in a friendly manner before she walked off.

I didn't want to stick around any longer. There were still a considerable amount of students at school, most likely due to clubs or make-ups. I drew attention wherever I went.

I quickly took a flight of stairs to the second floor and made my way to the music room. Although I wasn't in a hurry or anything, I moved in a rush as to avoid other schoolgirls in the vicinity. The stares were too much for me to stand.

In a couple of seconds, I found the music room. I slid open the door gently and peered in.

No one.

"Eh?" I mumbled, looking closely at the empty room.

"Ah..." I recalled, "Honoka said if no one was in the music room, they'd be on the roof." I turned away from the music room and started to head towards the rooftop when I stopped.

I turned and looked at the grand piano. I thought I had heard music coming from it.

"Must have been my imagination," I shrugged as I left the room, sliding the door shut along the way. For some reason, I heard someone playing a song on the piano.

I climbed up the stairs to the third floor, which was only a room big, not including the actual rooftop. As I ascended upwards, the sounds of feet tapping on the ground and a steady clapping beat grew louder and clearer.

Peeking through the door window, I saw Umi and a girl with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. They were instructing the rest of the girls through the choreography. I could spot a small boombox set aside on the ground. It was playing a song very subtly, but that's probably because I'm standing behind this door.

Not wanting to disturb them, I just stood there and watched as they danced, all with smiles on their faces. Honoka told me that as idols, they needed to be able to flash a smile at any moment.

Once they stopped for a break, I reached out for the doorknob when Honoka perked up, staring straight at me. She turned to the other girls excitedly, saying something that sounded muffled through the door.

Guess she noticed me. I pushed the door open and stepped out, squinting from the bright sunlight. Using my right arm to shade my eyes, I walked to the group and stopped a couple of meters away.

Now that I'm actually here, I don't know what to do or say. As I remained silent, a tense air formed around us.

"Hotaka-kun!" Honoka exclaimed, breaking the awkwardness, "you finally came!" She wiped her sweaty neck off with a cool towel before sipping some water from a transparent canteen.

"Yeah," I nodded, as I looked around. I decided to take the initiative and introduce myself.

I bowed slightly to the group as I said, "I'm Hotaka Kiimu. Somehow, I've become your manager, but I hope to get along with you all from here on." The weight of my guitar pressed down on my back.

Once I introduced myself, I was quickly acquainted with the rest of the girls.

Maki Nishikino, a reserved girl with auburn hair and royal purple eyes. She's the composer of the group, I kept that noted for any future compositions.

Rin Hoshizora, an energetic girl with short hair of a deep orange shade and had greenish-yellow eyes.

Hanayo Koizumi, a seemingly shy and quiet girl who had short brown hair and violet eyes.

Those three were the first years in this idol group.

As for the last three girls, they were all third years.

Yazawa Nico, a happy, upbeat girl with a smile on her face. She had black hair tied up in double side ponytails and ruby eyes. Apparently she was the club president despite looking like a cute little girl.

Nozomi Toujou, the vice-president of the student council. She had long purple hair tied up in a low, double ponytail and turquoise eyes. Although she seemed native to this area, she spoke with a Kansai dialect.

Lastly, Eri Ayase, the president of the student council. She had clean blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and blue eyes. From her appearance, I could tell that she wasn't purely Japanese.

Once introductions were out of the way, I turned to Honoka and said, "About that song you asked me to look over..." I placed my guitar case down and unzipped it, saying, "I felt like something was missing, so..." I pulled out a portable and wireless speaker and connected it to my MP3 player.

I slung my guitar over my shoulder and continued, "I added a bit of spice to fill in that gap." The song started and I picked the guitar strings, producing a melodic part to the instrumental beginning. But of course, without an amplifier, it sounded a bit dull.

I played through the entire song with what the guitar part I had edited into the song. I didn't notice it during my performance, but all nine girls were listening to my guitar intently. I finished with a strong end and huffed out, satisfied by how I played.

"So..." Honoka murmured. "That's so... SO COOL!" She pumped her fists into the air and asked the rest of the girls, "Hey, hey. You all think so too, right?"

"It definitely sounds a lot solider now," Maki commented, twisting the end of her hair around her index finger.

"Even though you're a guy, you understand how idol-like music works, amazing!" Nico cheered happily.

Nozomi smiled and asked, "Does every'un like it?" The girls nodded enthusiastically. "Then, Manager-san, can ya git a recordin' of dat guitar part? We'll mix it in wit the song later."

I nodded and replied, "Alright, I'll get it to you asap."

Honoka smiled and said, "Yosh! Only another week until we perform our first live as a full nine-member group! Let's get pumped!"

I returned my guitar to its case and leaned against the fencing.

"First live, huh?" I murmured. "I guess that just now was my first live."

As I watched the nine girls rerun their dances, a surge of heaviness shot through my head, like a hot barbell. I winced, grabbing my forehead in pain. I pinched my skin weakly as the dizzy spell faded away.

This happened yesterday too. What was going on?

Sudden flashes of images zipped through my mind, but they only lasted for a split moment, so I couldn't grasp what they were. But from the bits and pieces, I recalled two small details about myself.

I named my guitar Lethargy and my birthday was on August 3rd.

* * *

Sup. Empyreum here.

This Live took a little long, despite the fact that nothing big really happened, but maybe that's exactly why it took longer to write it.

Anyways, for now I'm planning to stick relatively close to the original plot, until I start writing Lives that take place after Episode 13.

Also, I'm also planning to write a different version of this story, called μ's Manager-san: Red Bean Paste, which will retell this story, but through the eyes of Honoka.

I think I'll update slower now, since school is hindering me (mostly procrastination), but I'll try to get something new once in a while.

Thanks for continuing to read my story, and until the next Live, au revoir~!


	4. Live 4 - Bokura no LIVE, Kimi to no LIFE

**Live 4: Bokura no LIVE, Kimi to no LIFE**

"Good morning, Honoka," I yawned as I walked into the living room.

Honoka turned to me from the low table and smiled, "Good morning, Hotaka-kun." She was wearing a light hoodie, and there were droplets of sweat all over her forehead, moistening some strands of her hair, causing them to stick onto her skin.

I took a seat and asked, "Did you go out for a run?"

Honoka nodded and said, "I thought I should get my body up and running. Today's our first live after all!" Honoka paced around, sipping from a water bottle.

"It's finally the big day, huh?" I asked, fiddling with my phone with a smile on my face. "Go break a leg, well, not literally, but..."

Honoka smiled and nodded, "I sure will, Hotaka-kun!" She started to leave the room as she said, "I gotta go to school now, see ya!" She went upstairs to change into her school uniform.

After a few seconds, I stood up and slipped my phone into my pocket as I mumbled, "Now then..." I had somewhere I needed to check on.

I left the shop and made my way to the other side of town.

My destination, the large, skyscraper-like building that stood above the other edifices.

"That giant building can't be a school," I mumbled as I continued walking. I pulled out a pamphlet I found on the table yesterday and read aloud, "UTX High School..."

Up close, it was pretty ridiculous. The school resembled more of a department store rather than a school. I looked around, and there were a ton of students piling into the building, and I stood out clearly in the middle of the crowd of uniformed students (they used their phones as some sort of identification, too!).

I looked up at the large display screen and a trio of girls appeared on the screen, greeting the students to UTX.

_A-RISE._ These girls were one of the most popular school idol groups as of now, and most people were even considering them as #1. Although I haven't seen a single performance by them, I could tell they were extremely popular, since a horde of students gathered under the screen to watch them.

Compared to them, μ's was just only beginning as an idol group. Could they get even close to A-RISE's popularity?

I shook my head. I shouldn't be asking myself that. As their manager, I had to make μ's as popular as possible, for the sake of Otonokizaka. The original purpose of μ's forming was to prevent the school from shutting down anyways.

In around forty-five minutes, I arrived at Otonokizaka, and there were a bunch of non-students on the campus grounds. Confused, I walked around, this time, blending in with the other people.

There were a bunch of stands around the side of the main road, displaying different things, like the history of the school and some that were selling refreshments.

"Now that I think about it," I mumbled to myself, "today was the open house, huh?" The open house was the very reason Honoka and the rest were holding a live today. If the open house was poorly received, Otonokizaka would stop accepting new students and eventually shut down. The members of μ's decided to use this opportunity to "advertise" their idol group.

I walked around, looking at various stands. The smells of the stands that were selling foodstuffs attracted me, and I realized that I had skipped breakfast. I approached a stand and bought a small carton of takoyaki. The aroma it gave off was alluring and I hurriedly gobbled one down. Of course, it was steaming hot, so I puffed, rolling the hot takoyaki ball around in my mouth.

For an open house, there was a festival-like atmosphere in the air. It didn't fit the image of an open house, but personally, I liked this better. This sort of air was more inviting to outsiders.

After eating to my heart's content, I wandered around the campus grounds, killing time. There were a couple of hours before the live started. Until then, I'd be stuck with nothing to do.

Eventually, I had gone through the stands at least twice and decided to step inside the school for a moment. Despite the fact it was still during school hours, there were several non-students wandering in the building.

I swapped my shoes with some indoor shoes meant for visitors and strolled through the halls. I whistled to myself and made my way towards the auditorium. It was pretty packed with adults watching a video about Otonokizaka's history and whatnot.

I had already learned enough about this school while I was looking at the displays outside, so I walked away.

"Ah, Hotaka-san!" a first-year girl waved at me.

I waved back at her, "Hey, what's up?" She and I made small talk for a minute before she left for her next class.

Because I constantly visited this school, a lot of the students were getting to know me. Apparently I was called the "Manager-san" among the other students. Well, it is true that I'm managing μ's.

I went upstairs and headed to the music room. I paused outside for a moment, making sure that no one was inside. Nothing made a sound, and I slid the door open, stepping in.

Out of all the places I've been, I felt at ease here. Was it because I started my amnesiac life here? Who knows.

I pulled back the piano's seat and plopped onto it. I pressed one of the keys and a solid timbre rang out. My hands rested on top of the piano and started to play a slow song as if they were drilled for this one piece.

It was a gentle, slow song, and the piano pretty much completed the accompaniment for the melody.

Once I finished the song, I just sat there for a moment, wondering what that song was, and why I still remembered it. I decided to put my thoughts to the side for now and left the music room.

I made my way to the Idol Research Club's room, which was pretty much, μ's headquarters. There were multiple shelves packed to the brim with DVD's, magazines, and books. There were a bunch of boxes lined up together on top of the shelves too, packed with other idol-esque goods. Posters hung on the walls and even on the shelves, displaying the currently popular idol groups. A-RISE was one of them.

I lounged around in the clubroom for a while, killing time with some magazines. Eventually, I grew bored of reading and rested my head on the table. With a soft yawn, I let my eyelids shut, blackness enveloping.

...

"Urmm," I mumbled, stirring in my sleep. I slowly opened my eyes. Right in front of me, was a pair of blue eyes.

I blinked a couple of times, trying to grasp the situation. After a couple of seconds, I sighed softly and asked, "Um, Honoka, your face is kinda close."

Honoka drew her head back and grinned mischievously. It seemed sort of forced and she stifled a laugh as she retreated to the other side of the room. I sighed and stood up, looking around the room. I picked up a mirror and grinned a little, "Oh geez, are you a little kid?"

There were doodles all over my face. I had a fancy mustache and a monocle, along with some twinkling stars on my right cheek. I rubbed on the markings and eventually they started to fade away.

"Are classes over?" I asked as I continued to rub my face.

Honoka nodded, "Yeah, the rest should be coming soon." She smiled and clenched her fists in excitement, "It's finally time."

I stood up as the rest of the girls poured into the room.

"Ah, everyone, you're here!" Honoka trotted over to them with a smile. Her orange side ponytail shook as she hurried over.

"Hotaka-kun," Honoka called out, "give us a little pep talk for our live!" I turned to the girls and they all burst out laughing.

I smiled and said, "That's good." I pointed to them and said, "You girls look best when you're smiling like that." They all stopped laughing and started listening.

Nodding, I crossed my arms and cleared my throat, "Anyways, this is your first live as a nine member group, but you've all worked long and hard for this day." I thrust out my hand, sticking out a peace sign and said, "Go out so that you won't have any regrets afterwards."

Everyone stared at me seriously, nodding, but they quickly burst into laughter again.

"Sorry, Hotaka-san," Kotori giggled, "it's kind of hard to take you seriously with all that on your face."

I took another peek at the pink hand mirror and smiled, "I guess so."

"Yosh!" Honoka punched upwards, "Let's do this!" She stood next to me and stuck out a peace sign with her hand next to mine. She looked around and gestured towards the rest, "Come on!"

"There's no helping it, huh?" Nico sighed, shaking her head. She smiled and joined the circle. Quickly, the circle was completed, creating a ten-pointed star.

We all glanced at each other and nodded. At the same time, we raised our hands up towards the ceiling and erupted in a chorale of cheers. I left the room when they pulled out their stage costumes and made my way outside, looking for a fountain of some sort to wash my face. In a few minutes, I found one and quickly washed away the rest of the markings.

It felt refreshing to splash cool water onto my face. I rubbed at my skin for a while before shutting off the water. I shook my hands in the air for a bit before drying the rest of the water on the sides of my pants.

Using the reflection on my phone, I double-checked to see that the marks were all gone. Staring at me through the black mirror was me, now with a clean face.

"Yosh," I nodded, turning around. I looked up at the second floor where the clubroom was. The girls would be finished in a few minutes, so I decided to head off to the field first. Aside from the fact I was their manager, I wanted to watch them as a spectator too.

I readjusted the position of my backpack and left the school building. My heart was racing despite the fact I wasn't the one performing.

When I arrived at the field, the stage was already prepared, and a small audience had gathered. A line of various colored balloons created a circle around them, forming makeshift decorations. But to get this amount of people even though they had only performed twice, μ's was pretty impressive.

"Hello, everyone!" Honoka spoke aloud.

It was a sunny day, and the lush green grass of the field swayed in the light breeze. It made an appealing ripple effect and accompanied the rustling of the nearby trees. The sun made it comfortably warm, yet at the same time, the wind cooled us off.

The crowd was huddled together across from Honoka, who stood with the rest of μ's. They were all dressed in bright red clothes, each with a slight variation, and a white skirt.

"We're Otonokizaka Academy's school idol group, μ's!" Honoka continued. She wore a wide smile on her face as the audience listened intently.

I was seated at the very back of the crowd, watching the girls from a distance. With a small sense of pride, I stayed quiet as Honoka continued her short speech.

"We love this school a lot!" Honoka said. "We were able to come together because all nine of us attend this school."

"Oh, it's Yukiho," I murmured to myself. She was wearing a light blue sailor uniform with a red ribbon. I noticed the girl with light blonde hair next to Yukiho. She seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe she was someone's sibling.

"We're about to sing you the first song we made after getting nine members!" Honoka called out, still beaming. "It's the song of our beginning!"

I smiled as the nine girls said together, "Please listen to... Bokura no LIVE, Kimi to no LIFE!"

* * *

'Sup. Empyreum here.

Sorry this took months to update. I completely forgot about this, but luckily, this chapter was pretty much finished, so it didn't take long to complete it when I got back to it.

On another note, I've started another fanfiction, two actually (though one of them will be on a hiatus for a while), and I might be focusing on that more. But hopefully, I'll be able to continue working on this at the same time.

Well then, until next time.


End file.
